


Home (Is Wherever I'm With You)

by nh8343



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: College!AU, Friendship, Gen, apartment!AU, comedy with feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-06 01:53:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12807018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nh8343/pseuds/nh8343
Summary: In which Jihoon’s face is used for monetary gain, Sungwoon successfully weaponizes a bowl of cereal, and Daniel finally learns how electricity works.And somewhere in between, the unlikely group of 11 manage to (mostly) stay friends.





	Home (Is Wherever I'm With You)

**Author's Note:**

> So this was definitely supposed to be finished months ago, but let's all just pretend it was meant to be posted as a Thanksgiving present instead. Enjoy!

 

 

 

I.

 

Lai Guanlin is nervous.

 

And not butterflies-in-his-stomach nervous, either. No, this is more along the lines of 'reconsidering applying to college at all' and 'about to throw up all over the stairs to the 2nd floor' nervous. It's as if Guanlin’s insides couldn't figure out if they were more apprehensive about meeting his new roommates or going to his first college classes tomorrow and decided to roll with both.

 

After a rather embarrassing visual of him lugging his overstuffed suitcase up the stairs and banging against every step with the wheels, Guanlin makes it up to apartment 201. He swallows once, knocks on the door, and waits.

 

And waits.

 

And━ wait a moment. Lai Guanlin is definitely an idiot or still jetlagged ( _or both_ , his brain helpfully supplies) because this is definitely apartment 200.

 

The sudden loss of adrenaline makes his fingers tingle, but he straightens his spine, wills away his embarrassment, and marches further down the hallway. He swallows once, knocks on the door, and w━

 

A boy answers the door immediately, smile spreading across his face when he spots the luggage.

 

"You must be Guanlin," he says, revealing one tooth out of place as his smile widens. "I'm Park Woojin, performance major. Nice to meet you."

 

Guanlin honestly almost starts to cry. At least one of his two roommates is _normal_ , even _nice_? Which of his past lives involved him saving an entire country?

 

"Nice to meet you, too," he says instead, and Woojin is already helping to wheel his luggage inside even before the greeting is finished.

 

The inside of the apartment is nicer than Guanlin expected. It's not large by any means, but the ceilings are tall enough that the living room doesn't feel cramped. And in the middle of said room, with a pencil tucked behind his ear and clipboard in hand, is another boy who Guanlin can only assume is roommate #2.

 

"Guanlin," Woojin starts, "this is━"

 

"Lee Daehwi," the other boy chimes in, holding out his free hand to shake. "SGA president, music major, and Glee Club founder."

 

"Uh, Lai Guanlin...first-year."

 

Daehwi looks at him strangely, like he can't decide if Guanlin is joking or not, and the latter is grateful when Woojin intervenes to save the conversation.

 

"Daehwi and I are both second-years, so we won't have any classes with you, but we might be able to give you a heads-up on some professors. What's your major, Guanlin?"

 

"Still undecided."

 

This sparks a conversation on the benefits of different majors that puts Guanlin back at ease despite the awkwardness from earlier. He finds out that Woojin and Daehwi have known each other since middle school, successfully managing to get into the same university and room together. Last year, it had only been the two of them, but they were excited to have someone new.

 

("As long as you stick to quiet hours after 10pm," Daehwi adds with a practiced laugh. Guanlin's not sure if it's intended to sound like a threat.)

 

At some point, there's a knock against the open door, and Guanlin turns to see a man whose smile lines are cut far too deep to match the build of his shoulders.

 

"Daniel, what brings you down the hall?" Woojin asks him.

 

"I heard about the new kid and figured I'd come visit. Is this Guanlin?"

 

Guanlin answers him with a shy nod, and the way Daniel's face scrunches up when he smiles is the last thing Guanlin needs for his brain to cement his mostly unfounded thoughts of _I can trust this man with my life_.

 

"Come with me," Daniel insists. "I'll introduce you to apartment 202 where the rest of our ragtag group lives."

 

"You're in college, too?"

 

Daniel's laugh comes easily. "Haven't been for a while, some of us longer than others. We just happen to be close with our neighbors, Woojin and Daehwi included."

 

Well, this is...a lot more people to meet on his first day than Guanlin had expected. But maybe it's lucky, suddenly having connections like this. It couldn't hurt to meet them, could it?

 

"You should go with Daniel," Woojin encourages. "I'll bring your luggage to your room and start making lunch with Daehwi."

 

Alright, then. Guanlin gives Daniel a tentative thumbs-up, waving away the practically cooed "cute" he gets in return, and follows the other man to what he can see is apartment 202.

 

"Fair warning," Daniel tells him before he opens the door, "there's a lot of us. We have to cram together and split the rent to afford it, unlike you college kids getting paid by the school to live off-campus."

 

From anyone else, it might have sounded demeaning, but with Daniel sticking out his tongue like a child it's impossible for Guanlin to do anything but laugh along.

 

Apartment 202 is technically the same size as 201, but it certainly doesn't seem that way when there's four people plus Guanlin in the same room. One man looks up from a table where he appears to be wrapping gauze around a rabbit's ear, takes one look at Guanlin, and narrows his eyes suspiciously.

 

"Daniel, did you let one of your students follow you home again." It's not a question.

 

"What, no, I━ That was one time! And I wouldn't have let him if I'd noticed sooner; six-year-olds are hard to see!"

 

Daniel lets out a huff at Jisung's admonishing shake of his head. " _Anyway_ , Guanlin, this is Yoon Jisung. He works at the local animal clinic so he's always bringing critters home to keep a close eye on. I've seen...more snakes than I'd like in the years we've known each other."

 

"But it's worth it for the cute ones, isn't it?" Jisung prompts, carefully squishing the bandaged rabbit's cheeks. Guanlin feels like there's some sort of resemblance there, but he can't quite put his finger on it.

 

"That's...I can't argue with that," Daniel concedes before moving on, gesturing to a second man leaning against the kitchen counter. "This is one of my other roommates."

 

"Ong Seongwoo," the man introduces himself with a nod. "Dancer and Daniel's babysitter."

 

"Hey!"

 

"Oh, and best friend, but...priorities, you know? You'd think a teacher would be able to look after himself, but Daniel's always been special."

 

"And I repeat: hey!" When Daniel turns back to Guanlin, his lips are drawn into a pout. "Seongwoo isn’t usually this mean, I promise."

 

Guanlin holds back his laughter and gives him a solemn nod.

 

Finally, Daniel gestures to the last man in the room. "And this is Kim Jaehwan, though he doesn't technically live here."

 

From his spot on the couch, Jaehwan smirks. "I live downstairs in 102," he clarifies. "Since my roommate keeps leaving to visit his other friends, I pretty much get the whole place to myself. _But_ , sometimes I come to visit and bless these guys with my presence."

 

Seongwoo audibly snorts, circling his finger around his ear in the universal sign for what he thinks of the other's pride.

 

" _Excuse_ you," Jaehwan says. He draws out the 'u' so overdramatically that it's more comical than annoyed. "I am in a _band_ , which means that once I'm rich and famous, every moment you spent with me will have been a blessing. Granted, that's if we do break out, our songs stop sounding like tinny Big Time Rush remakes, and the rest of my group pulls their heads out of their respective asses..."

 

Another man comes in from the hallway, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and Jaehwan's demeanor shifts entirely.

 

"By which I mean we work wonderfully together, our tracks are super addictive, and they're hailing me as the best vocalist of my generation."

 

The newcomer visibly scowls. "Who's this?" he asks, purposefully turning away from Jaehwan to face Guanlin.

 

"Sungwoon, meet Guanlin, the new kid in 201," Daniel introduces. "Guanlin, meet Ha Sungwoon, our second resident musician."

 

Sungwoon shoots Guanlin a smile despite his obvious annoyance from earlier. "I'm a solo artist, but as of now still unsigned," he says. "I'm out in the city every day busking."

 

"He's essentially a beggar who happens to play guitar," Jaehwan points out a bit too gleefully, and suddenly Sungwoon's scowl is back.

 

"At least I didn't sell my soul for a chance at making it big."

 

"And at least I _have_ a━" Jaehwan starts to argue, shutting up immediately when Jisung places a warning hand on his shoulder.

 

It's surprising, Guanlin can't help but notice, how fast the others seem to listen to him despite how unintimidating he looks. Guanlin can't imagine what kind of chaos this apartment would spiral into without someone with a good head on their shoulders.

 

(Also, thank goodness he has Woojin as a roommate and not Jaehwan. Guanlin thinks he can only handle the latter in small doses.)

 

"It's been really nice to meet you, Guanlin," Jisung says to stop the conversation from spiraling any further. "Hopefully your semester goes well, and if you have any problems, you can always come see us, alright?"

 

"I will."

 

And you know, after today? Guanlin means it.

 

(When he calls Seonho that evening to give a promised update, the high schooler seems almost disappointed that the people Guanlin's met so far have been far from terrible.

 

"If they _do_ turn out to be crazy axe-murderers," Seonho tells him matter-of-factly, "I'll make sure to avenge your death. But you have to send me a text or something before you die so I know who exactly I'm doing the avenging on."

 

"Aww, dude...you really do care.")

 

 

 

II.

 

Jinyoung is tying up the newest buds of his chrysanthemums to a trellis when he hears a knock on the door.

 

The knock isn't anything out of the ordinary; he figures Jihoon forgot his keys again and can't get back in. But when he goes to let his roommate in, he finds that it isn't his roommate at all. There's some tall stranger at the door, looking as nervous as Jinyoung suddenly feels.

 

"Um, hi?" the stranger says. "I'm Lai Guanlin; I just moved in next door to 201. Woojin suggested I introduce myself since you were out the day I moved in."

 

So, not entirely a stranger, then. Something in Jinyoung's chest unknots itself. He lets Guanlin into the apartment with a small smile, fiddling with his fingers when he notices the other's eyes locked onto the plants spread around the living room.

 

"I'm Bae Jinyoung," he introduces himself. "Second-year biology student. You're a first-year?"

 

"First-year, undecided major." Guanlin gestures to the rows of greenery. "Are these all real? You're taking care of them?"

 

"Yes. I monitor them daily to make sure they're getting enough sun and water, sing to them..." _Wait._ "And, you know...sometimes plants are easier to talk to than people?” _JINYOUNG. STOP._ "That is...forget I said anything."

 

Jinyoung wants to melt into a puddle, but Guanlin just shakes his head good-naturedly and says, "No, I agree. I'd much prefer to have a captive audience that can't ruin the moment by talking back."

 

Oh. This one's a keeper.

 

Before Jinyoung can embarrass himself any further, Jihoon ━ for real, this time ━ unlocks the door and comes in, eyebrow raising at the sight of their guest.

 

"This is Guanlin," Jinyoung tells him before he can ask. "Guanlin, meet my roommate, Park Jihoon. He's a second-year literature major."

 

"So you're who Woojin kept mentioning," Jihoon says, eyes sweeping up and down Guanlin's suddenly stiff form. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other around, but I have to finish a book report in the next two hours. If you'll excuse me..."

 

Jinyoung sends him off with a sincere "good luck". When he turns his attention back to Guanlin, he's surprised at the expression he finds on the other's face.

 

"What is it?" he asks.

 

"Nothing, just...Jihoon is a bit intimidating, if I'm being honest."

 

It's like the beginning of last year all over again, only this time someone else is in Jinyoung's shoes. The thought tugs at the corners of his lips.

 

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. But Jihoon is a really nice guy. I didn't know him at all when we were random-matched last year and now we're practically brothers."

 

"I'm hoping it's the same case with my other roommate," Guanlin mutters. "Daehwi seems just as intimidating, if not more."

 

"Daehwi? Don't worry about him, either. He naturally puts up a front around people he doesn't know, but he'll open up once you get to know him." Just for good measure, Jinyoung tacks on, "Don't tell him I told you, but he loves being cuddled."

 

Daehwi might pout at him if he finds out, but that's about the worst he'd ever do. Jinyoung's sure he can handle it.

 

"I hope I can be like that someday," Guanlin admits, looking at the floor. "Close with everyone, that is. Enough to know what they're really like. I think I'm more nervous about making new friends than passing calculus. And I’m _really_ bad at calculus."

 

Jinyoung takes approximately two seconds to replay Guanlin's kind words from before, then doesn't hesitate a moment longer.

 

"Don't be nervous," he insists, injecting confidence into his words for Guanlin's sake if nothing else. "I don't know about calculus, but...you have me, Woojin's definitely taken a liking to you, and I'm sure the others will warm up to you in no time."

 

Guanlin looks genuinely touched. But before he can say anything in return, Jihoon pokes his head back out of his room to call, "Hey, either of you want to go to the party Jisung and Co. are throwing Wednesday night? It's still in our honor, apparently, just like last year."

 

At the word 'party', Jinyoung can feel the blood drain from his face. "Not in a million years," he says firmly.

 

"Agreed," Guanlin says with a quick nod. "There's no way you'll find me within 50 feet of that party."

 

 

 

III.

 

Jisung wonders why Guanlin looks like he'd rather be anywhere else than at this party.

 

Normally, in the midst of said party, the feelings of a college freshman wouldn't be Jisung's number one priority. But Guanlin _was_ fresh blood, and there was also the fact that Woojin had asked Jisung to keep Guanlin by his side for the night and away from any potential awkwardness or bad decisions. It was a thoughtful gesture, even if it does turn Jisung into something of a babysitter.

 

This isn't going to set a precedent, is it?

 

"So, Guanlin," he asks, suppressing a chuckle at how the other jumps, "have any fun high school party stories?"

 

"Maybe one? There was something with a Troublemaker song and Sunny-D, but Seonho ━ my best friend ━ kind of, um, swore me to secrecy. Said something about the last traces of our dignity."

 

Jisung does actually crack a smile, then. Maybe the kid is a little awkward, but at least he's made for decent conversation, kept the atmosphere light despite his fidgeting. Jisung really does want him to feel like he has a place here.

 

When they make their way over to the snack tables, the biggest surprise that awaits them turns out surprisingly not to be the edibility of the low-budget party food Daniel had thrown together for this self-hosted shindig. It's the man by the half-eaten bowl of Snickers who turns to smile at them.

 

"Minhyun!" Jisung greets him. "Good to see you again."

 

"You know me; I'd never miss one of your parties. And this is...?"

 

"Guanlin. He just moved into 201 with some of the other kids. Minhyun, it's really been too long. How have you been? Too swamped to stop by the apartments every once and awhile?"

 

"I've been up to a few things," Minhyun says, honest-to-god shrugging off the question, "but I'll come by sometime this week. Have to restock the frozen leftovers in the refrigerators, I'm sure."

 

The small talk goes on for a short while longer, but Minhyun excuses himself with an apology that would sound genuine to someone who didn't know him better than he sometimes knows himself. And yes, Jisung does consider himself that someone. He only shakes his head at Minhyun's parting "Don't drink the punch!"

 

That actually makes it sound like the perfect time to start downing shots, but the resulting mental image reminds Jisung of just who he's here with. Has Guanlin probably already had his fair share of alcohol at his age? Yes. But should he probably find someone his own age to schmooze with instead of someone one bad suggestion away from with waking up with the world's worst hangover tomorrow?

 

"Absolutely."

 

"What was that?"

 

"Come on, kid. We're going to find you a friend instead of a babysitter."

 

He puts a hand on Guanlin's shoulder to steer him in the right direction and heads toward exactly where he knows the other's perfect companion will be ━ at the center of the dance floor.

 

At the sight of Park Woojin popping and locking like there's no tomorrow, Guanlin visibly pales. He moves to pull away from Jisung's grip entirely. But when Jisung's eyes finally catch Woojin's, giving the dancer a _look_ , it only takes one encouraging tug to pull Guanlin into the thick of the action. It's not a minute before he's relaxing, laughing and dancing along to the sound of the crowd's cheers.

 

Jisung must be growing soft, because he swears his heart grows two sizes at the sight.

 

There's another sound that catches his attention, then. A commotion by the DJ table draws his eyes to the front of the room, where he sees ( _NOT AGAIN_ ) that Jaehwan and Sungwoon have somehow taken control of two mics. Which, if they were anyone else, would be fine. But alas. Dumb and Dumber are trying to out-sing each other on "Bohemian Rhapsody" and this clearly can't end well.

 

Jisung insistently pushes his way through the crowd. He has to put an end to this before it goes too far (before it ends up like "Tik Tok," dear _god_ ). There are just so many bodies to push through, bodies that multiply and compress when the vocal battle starts to draw more attention.

 

_Don't give them an audience!_ he's half-tempted to shout. Which maybe makes him an asshole considering both his friends are musicians desperate for this sort of thing but, hey, if they didn't want Jisung thinking asshole-ish thoughts, maybe they shouldn't be trying so hard to get everyone kicked out of━

 

Someone shrieks. Jaehwan and Sungwoon shut up (thank god), and Jisung looks stage right to see Claude surrounded by a group of horrified party-goers.

 

Claude in this case, of course, being the injured scorpion Jisung had taken home from work. He wasn't even going to try and explain this one.

 

"Wait!" he shouts over the crowd. "Don't panic! It's completely harmless as long as you don't━!"

 

Another scream pierces the air.

 

"...look it in the eyes."

 

It hurts something deep inside Jisung's heart when the scorpion leaps forward to sting the screamer (is there a specific muscle linked to one's bank account and insurance settlements?). Not surprisingly, that doesn't inspire the crowd to calm down. A stampede of perfume and cheap beer crowds the exit and streams out the door of the complex's clubhouse. Party's over.

 

Jisung should really consider investing in a leash.

 

Also, better friends.

 

 

 

IV.

 

Ong Seongwoo has never been one to take drastic measures.

 

He's never allowed himself to be backed into a corner, never reached a point lower than he could immediately bounce back from. But considering his and his roommates' present situation, he's had no choice but to use certain...unconventional means to tackle their problem. Unexpected medical expenses to stop one of your party guests from suing over a scorpion sting weren't something one generally had a convenient backup plan for.

 

Seongwoo, being the master of schemes that he is, has taken it upon himself to collect their missing rent money and save them from a life on the street. He can't exactly call this particular scheme "honest" in the conventional sense of the word, but...okay. He knows Jihoon has a Face™, right? And he now knows that Face™ is his to use for a modest bribe of 20% of all profits. What was Seongwoo supposed to do?

 

Answer:

  1. Pretend Jihoon is the visual center of an imaginary idol group
  2. Slap aforementioned Face™ on various Branded Goods™.
  3. ???
  4. Profit



 

(The question marks were actually a lie; that step consisted of Jihoon using varying levels of cringe on live webcasts to sell Seongwoo's genius inventions. Seongwoo is both amazed and mildly terrified at the difference between Jihoon's on-screen aegyo and the flat, calculating way he negotiates when the camera isn't recording.)

 

But right now, the camera _is_ recording, and Seongwoo is staying well out of frame while he monitors the broadcast from a second laptop. Their set tonight, Jihoon's bedroom, isn't the most glamorous of backgrounds, but Seongwoo supposes it has a certain ambience. Cozy, maybe even domestic. Seongwoo's always personally been a homemade video man himself, though that's definitely in a different context and, whoa, that got real weird real fast.

 

Anyway.

 

"I'll save each and every lovely buyer in my heart~" sounds from the other end of the bed, and Seongwoo dials back in with a visible cringe. Just out of sight of the camera, Jihoon jabs his fingernail rather sharply into Seongwoo's leg. Brat.

 

Seongwoo drags the webcast into splitscreen, eyes scanning down the list of incoming orders and payments. Tonight is a particularly good night. Maybe it's the strangely endearing fuzzy sweater Jihoon is wearing. Maybe their audience is particularly gullible. Either way, it's one step closer to enough rent money and one step away from Jisung's impending stroke.

 

But something draws Seongwoo's eyes away from that glowing list of figures. He has a strange feeling that something isn't right ━ something that isn't their morally-dubious fraud scheme.

 

(Was it still fraud if they were actually sending out the items? Probably.)

 

When his eyes finally find the thin layer of water collecting on the floor, Seongwoo curses under his breath and immediately pulls out his phone. It's been on silent (no phones on while scheming), but he does have a very recent voicemail from the landlord which he pushes play on.

 

_"Hello, building residents. As I'm sure you've noticed, we're experiencing some pipe failure on the lower level, leading to flooding. Anyone on the lower level will need to either evacuate the building or make their way to a higher floor. Water could rise to dangerous levels very quickly, so be safe. Thank you."_

 

Either this was the universe's way of chiding Seongwoo for being a dishonest bastard, or Jihoon was an incredible bad luck charm. Seongwoo motions to the other with flailing hands, stage-whispering a pointed "We're done for tonight!" when all he gets in return is a dirty glare.

 

Jihoon cuts the stream with a fake excuse and an even faker giggle, unamused when he shuts his laptop. "What?" he deadpans.

 

"Take a look at your floor and miss me with that sass, Mister So-Called Visual."

 

When Jihoon does look, his eyes go wide, and he swears in a way that would make his legions of misled admirers gasp. In a flash, he's up off the bed and gathering electronics in a tangled mess of lights and cords.

 

"Make sure Jinyoung knows," he says. "Help him carry as many of his plants as you can."

 

"Dude, what?" Seongwoo asks, incredulous, but Jihoon fixes him with another glare.

 

“The plants.”

 

There's something in his expression that shuts Seongwoo up. When he sloshes through the rising water into the living room, Jinyoung is already there, but Seongwoo does help gather a varied collection of succulents into his arms. Partly because he wants to keep his source of income happy, partly because Jinyoung looks like he might otherwise burst into distressed tears.

 

Shit, his socks are wet now, aren't they? Seongwoo loathes two things: people with no sense of humor, and wet socks. Karma could be done with kicking him in the ass now, thank you very much.

 

The three of them make it out of the room with the water at knee level and rising. It's at that moment that Seongwoo realizes they may have left out an important piece of their not-so-planned plan.

 

"Where exactly are we going?"

 

Jihoon scrambles for an answer, but it's Jinyoung who steps up this time to respond, "To apartment 201. I'm sure Guanlin and the others will let us stay until the water goes down."

 

And so with that, the worn, slightly damp trio make their way up the stairs and knock at their potential saviors' door. Woojin answers with a face that becomes increasingly confused once he sees what's in their hands (mostly plants). Seongwoo can't help but think that his expression is _priceless_.

 

“Hey, kid, in the mood for some new roomies?”

 

 

 

V.

 

Jaehwan's honestly not sure how he feels about this new living situation.

 

After the flooding, maintenance and cleanup on the lower floors had temporarily displaced the residents living there to their friends' apartments, Jaehwan included. It's really not that much different from his normal routine; he does, after all, spend most of his time in 202 even without an excuse. The kids probably have it worse, all crammed together with Jinyoung's extensive flora collection. But it's still strange.

 

Jaehwan ended up being the only one in his apartment to relocate. Minhyun had agreed to stay with his other friends for the time being so they have enough room, which is...fine. The tug in Jaehwan's gut is definitely just fear that he's going to starve without the other man's cooking. And speaking of cooking...

 

Jaehwan pulls the fridge door open with a muted _squeak_ , light flooding the dark room. A series of rapid blinks adjusts his eyes, only for a pout to come over his expression as he takes in the pitiful collection of leftovers.

 

_Definitely_ going to starve.

 

He swallows his hunger down and closes the door, swiping the _1:24 am_ display on his phone up to illuminate the path to the bathroom. His feet start to trudge back to the hallway when he suddenly sees a figure visible in the phone's low light. A scream nearly rips itself out of Jaehwan's throat, but the figure lurches forward and slaps a hand over his mouth.

 

"Don't you _dare_ ," Sungwoon's voice warns him.

 

The tension leaves Jaehwan's shoulders at once. “What the hell are you doing?” he whispers once the hand is removed from his face, maybe a bit louder than necessary.

 

"What does it look like, genius? The same thing I'm sure you were doing; I'm not about to starve to death just because no one taught me to make anything more complicated that cup ramen."

 

"Something else the great Ha Sungwoon can't do? Imagine that. I think I'm going into shock."

 

"Like you can cook for shit, either," Sungwoon practically hisses back, and Jaehwan has to give him that one ━ not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

 

"Well, it's useless," he says instead. "Unless you're in the mood for various condiments and a half-moldy burger, there's nothing there. You're better off just ordering takeout in the mornings if you want late-night snacks."

 

It's hard to see in the dim light of his phone, but Jaehwan swears Sungwoon's face grows dark at his words, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. When he speaks again, there's an anger behind the words that Jaehwan has never heard before.

 

"And _maybe_ not everyone can afford to binge on takeout whenever they want. Or were you too busy taking opportunities for granted to wrap your head around that?"

 

Before Jaehwan can apologize, confused, the other man storms back to his room. Jaehwan stands in place for a moment before he shakes his head, brushing it off as Sungwoon being...well, Sungwoon, and heads to the bathroom.

 

Seongwoo's room is on the way. That wouldn't be an important detail, except voices coming from inside pull him up short in front of the door. Who else would be here at this godforsaken hour? A girlfriend? The subject of some midnight tryst?

 

"Jihoon, please, just think for a second."

 

Ah, scratch that line of thinking. Jaehwan almost keeps walking before freezing, a frown on his face. What is _Jihoon_ doing here this late at night?

 

"...considered the risk?" Jaehwan can hear, ear pressed against the door. "Exactly how long do you plan to keep this up?"

 

The response is muffled. If Jaehwan can cup his hand around his ear, maybe he can just make out━

 

The door swings open, and Seongwoo regards him with a dangerous smile.

 

"Hey, what are you doing up this late?" Seongwoo asks far too casually, and Jaehwan practically runs back to his mattress in the living room, bathroom forgotten.

 

He really, _really_ misses Minhyun.

 

 

 

VI.

 

Jihoon's not sure what's more stressful: Scout's current predicament in his copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , the deadline for a report on said book coming up tomorrow (TOMORROW), or the intense game of Monopoly spread out on the living room floor.

 

Jinyoung and Guanlin are currently hunched over the board, eying each other's hotels and watching each roll of the dice like it may be their last.

 

It won't be. They've almost certainly got a few more hours left until the end even comes near. And isn't Monopoly supposed to be a guaranteed way to _lose_ friends? Who chose this as a bonding activity?

 

Still, Jihoon's happy for them. He likes Guanlin, and he's glad Jinyoung has a friend who can make him happy, considering how shy his roommate can be. Even if it's from a distance, Jihoon enjoys their company. Now if he can just finish━

 

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

 

Guanlin sits up straight, suspiciously eyeing the door.

 

"What was━?"

 

Without warning, the door slams open, revealing a small but angry mob of girls. They storm through the doorway with scowls on their faces, one girl stepping out in front of the pack.

 

"Where is Jihwan? We need to see him _now_ ," she demands.

 

Jinyoung drops the stack of twenties he was about to hand to Guanlin, looking up at her in terror. Jihoon nearly breaks his nose slamming the book back in place over his face before he turns away.

 

"Go to apartment 202 upstairs," he says, pitching his voice deeper than usual. "Ask for Ong Seongwoo. You'll find him."

 

"We'd better," head girl threatens.

 

Without another word, the pack leaves, slamming the door back shut behind them.

 

Jihoon puts his book back down with a sigh of relief, massaging his aching nose, when he sees the open-mouthed stares the other two are giving him.

 

"What?" he asks them. "It's not a big deal. Seongwoo was up to something, and they had the wrong apartment number. You can get back to Monopoly."

 

They don't say anything to that. What _could_ they really say? Jinyoung gathers up the scattered paper money and prepares to pick up where they left off.

 

"But...should we warn him?" Guanlin asks uncertainty.

 

Jihoon runs a finger down _To Kill a Mockingbird_ 's page to re-find his spot, thinks of his deadline tomorrow (TOMORROW) once more as his heart rate returns to normal.

 

"Nope."

 

 

 

VII.

 

As Woojin walks the path to apartment 202, he really hopes this is worth it.

 

There had been a 'mysterious' letter slipped under Woojin's own door yesterday summoning him at this exact place and time. Normally, he'd have ignored such a letter for his usual motions of practicing his new dance routine in the apartment's confined living room (and trying not to hit Daehwi in the head ━ again). There's just one thing stopping him: it's pretty obvious that the letter was written on the same stationary a certain someone likes to buy for his students. Woojin wants to at least indulge him because, well...it's Daniel. Everyone dotes on Daniel.

 

After only a single knock on the apartment's door, Daniel (wow, what a surprise) lets him in, and he sees a circle of others sitting on the floor. Jisung, Daehwi, Guanlin, and Jinyoung all acknowledge him with a smile as he takes a spot next to them. Woojin is just thinking over how Seongwoo and Jihoon are noticeably absent when Daniel joins the circle as well, and Jisung immediately turns toward said man, unimpressed.

 

"Really? You roped all the kids into this?"

 

"What other choices did I have? Minhyun would never dream of being involved, and I don't exactly trust either Jaehwan or Sungwoon to have the best judgement. At all."

 

"Are we getting hazed?" Guanlin asks suddenly, raising his hand but not waiting to be called on.

 

Daehwi looks mortified at the thought. Jinyoung looks like he's about to make a run for it.

 

"Of course not!" Daniel reassures them, looking relieved when they calm back down. "Don't worry, none of you are in trouble."

 

“Someone’s _going_ to be,” Jisung mutters before Daniel shushes him silent.

 

"Everyone," Daniel addresses the group seriously, "you're all gathered here today to deliver justice for a wrongdoing that has so far gone mostly unpunished. For too long, the betrayal of two of our closest friends has cast a shadow over━"

 

"Oh my _god_."

 

"Jisung, please, I practiced this. _Anyway_. Seongwoo and Jihoon apologized for what they did, but they got off much too easy. We can't have everyone thinking they can get away with pulling crap like that without consequences, especially Seongwoo ━ he's old enough to know better. That's why he needs to be taught a lesson. With...the Ultimate Prank."

 

The other kids' eyes are wide with interest, but Woojin isn't exactly sold.

 

"And what _is_ this ultimate prank you're planning?"

 

"Well, that's not, um..." Daniel stumbles over his words. "I don't know exactly what it will be yet, but I'm open to suggestions from everyone else."

 

"Have you considered," Jisung asks pointedly, "hiding self-help books around the building on 'Getting Over It'?"

 

"I know!" Daehwi pipes up. "We take his acne cream and replace it...with regular moisturizer."

 

"And instead of the good shea butter stuff," Jinyoung adds, "it's _unscented_."

 

If the masked pain in Daniel's eyes is anything to go by, the suggestions are far too light for what he has in mind. So Woojin takes it upon himself to offer the first thing that comes to mind.

 

"Consider this: we throw a bag over his head while he's sleeping, and use Minhyun's car to take him to the empty warehouse up the street. We disguise our voices and pretend to be kidnappers, and just when he starts to crack, we take off the bag and reveal ourselves."

 

He's actually quite proud of the idea. But judging by the varying states of horror on the others' faces...yeah, he may have gone too far. Oops.

 

"Alright, then," Daniel says. He's laughing out of what's clearly nervous habit. "I’ll take all of your ideas into consideration, and we'll reconvene soon for another Ultimate Prank meeting."

 

"Daniel, honestly, don't you think we're getting too old for━" Jisung starts, only to be interrupted by a high-pitched shriek.

 

All heads snap Daehwi's way to see him now on top of the couch, and more than a few of the assembled group jerk back, Woojin included, when they see a snake in the spot Daehwi was standing just moments before.

 

Daehwi glares at a sheepish-looking Jisung and yells, two octaves too high, "I said to get a _puppy_!!"

 

 

 

VIII.

 

The early morning finds Jaehwan on his favorite living room couch, fingers strumming across guitar strings as he warms up his vocal cords.

 

He's always liked practicing in the hours just after dawn. There's something about it being just him and the music, no distractions or conversations to weigh him down as he sings. The solitude is comforting.

 

Right on cue, Sungwoon comes into the kitchen for breakfast, starting to pour his usual bowl of just-past-expired cornflakes.

 

"What, does your 'tortured artist' brain never let you sleep?" he asks before pouring the milk.

 

"Sleep is for the weak."

 

Sungwoon predictably bristles, shooting back, "So is that what you think about me?"

 

"I also have a whole list of other adjectives if you'd like to hear them. It starts with 'atrocious' and goes alphabetically."

 

Jaehwan isn't serious, of course. He's rolling with it for the sake of being an annoying shit, but they're both aware of how this game works.

 

"Can we seriously not do this right now?"

 

"Is that what the producer said when you tried to audition for━"

 

There's suddenly a bowl of cereal, milk and all, being hurled at Jaehwan's head. The bowl bounces harmlessly off his shoulder and clatters to the floor, but there's milk and cornflakes running down Jaehwan's face, and he finds himself _livid_.

 

"What the _fuck_ ," he says with feeling. His hand is already curling into a fist before he can fully think it through, swinging for the other man's scowl.

 

But Sungwoon doesn't take the punch sitting down. He steps aside and grabs Jaehwan by the arm, momentum nearly toppling the latter into the kitchen counter. Firsts escalate into forceful shoves into the living room walls, winded huffs of air masking the pain that comes with it.

 

Still, the most noticeable sound isn't from the physical fight. It's from the fact that Sungwoon won't stop _yelling_ , sending biting words Jaehwan's way that he's 'an ungrateful, self-centered bastard,' among other descriptors. A few minutes ago, Jaehwan would have thought nothing of it. Now he finds himself confused at how far Sungwoon has let this 'rivalry' go, scared of the deep-seated anger that had apparently been buried just under the surface.

 

Jaehwan doesn't notice the leg that comes for him before it's hitting solidly against the side of his knee. He feels the breath knocked out of him as his back hits the floor. Sungwoon is on top of him before he can recover, and Jaehwan would make a joke of it if he wasn't so scared for his well-being.

 

"You _asshole_ ," Sungwoon spits out, angry tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. "After all this time, how can you still treat this like it's nothing!? You brush off your success like it's a chore when you're everything I'm terrified I'll never be, and take every opportunity to remind me of it, too. So you know what? Fuck you, Kim Jaehwan."

 

Even before Sungwoon lifts an arm back to deliver that final blow, Jaehwan seals his eyes shut. What can he do but brace himself when he knows he's on the receiving end of all that anger? His jaw clenches as he feels the other man move━

 

Suddenly there are hands locked around his torso, pulling him away. Jaehwan's eyes fly open to see Seongwoo yanking Sungwoon back at the same time he hears Jisung's voice just behind him commanding, "Sungwoon, get a hold of yourself. Now."

 

The way Sungwoon's eyes flicker between the three of them distinctly reminds Jaehwan of a caged animal.

 

"Let me go!" Sungwoon demands, struggling against Seongwoo's hold.

 

"Only when I'm sure you're calm. I don't want anyone getting hurt, yourself included."

 

“Calm!?”

 

And then Sungwoon starts to laugh. It's a hysterical sort of sound, one that stumbles and crashes until it chokes, morphing into an ugly sob.

 

Seongwoo looks as shocked as Jaehwan feels. He makes no effort to stop Sungwoon from breaking the hold and rushing back into his own room, avoiding three sets of stares and Jisung's imploring call of his name.

 

Jaehwan stares at the place where Sungwoon used to be. And he realizes for the first time that this thing between them isn't funny anymore.

 

 

 

IX.

 

"They did _what_?"

 

For the first time in the past few hours, the strangest part of Minhyun's world is not finally being back in his apartment after the flooding situation was resolved. No, the strangest by far is what he's just been told, so out of place that he's sure he's misheard.

 

"You heard me," Jisung tells him, crossing his arms. "I didn't see how it started, but by the time we pulled the two of them apart, they were screaming at each other and Sungwoon was about to send Jaehwan to the nearest hospital. It was _bad_."

 

"I don't understand. They've always argued, but I never thought they were...that they would take it this far. Especially Sungwoon."

 

"I'm worried about him," Jisung agrees. "After that whole debacle, I think he feels like he has no one to talk to. Like we've all decided to cut him off. He hardly leaves his room anymore, much less talks to us."

 

"Maybe there's something I can do. I'll try to convince him to come over and talk it out with Jaehwan. Now that everything's out in the open, maybe they can get past whatever they're fighting about."

 

Jisung nods, but he fixes Minhyun with a look the other man is sure he isn't going to like.

 

"That being said...Sungwoon clearly isn't the only one with issues. Your roommate came to talk with me before moving out. He said he didn't want to go back to the way things were because it gets too lonely. My guess? He's been overcompensating for that with bravado and set Sungwoon off."

 

It gets too lonely. Minhyun looks away with an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. He should apologize, probably, even if it's not Jisung he should be apologizing to. It's just hard to find the right words.

 

"Look, I'm not saying you have to be here all the time," Jisung tells him. "And I'm not going to tell you what to do. But keep in mind that this place, these people, this entire chapter of our lives...it's all temporary. When your job relocates back in a few years and you leave this all behind, you don't want to regret not living in the moment."

 

The smile on Minhyun's face isn't a happy one. "What's the point when it's all temporary? The closer I get to any of you, the more it will hurt to say goodbye."

 

"Better to have something to miss than nothing to show for these few years of your life, no? We all _want_ to get close to you. It's just a matter of you letting us in."

 

Something to miss? Minhyun has something like that. He misses his life before this stupid temporary relocation made everything more difficult, misses being able to see his friends without having to feel guilty about it. He misses having a place that felt like home.

 

And yet...he can't help but think of some of the little things from this life he didn't ask for. He thinks of Jinyoung's insistent hugs every time he visits, of Daniel's yellow 'thanks again for the food^^' notes stuck to the bottom of empty tupperware containers, of how Jaehwan still tries and fails to make him scrambled eggs every morning he stays over. And maybe he thinks, just for a moment, that with some work this place could also be a home.

 

Minhyun is silent for a long moment before finally meeting Jisung's eyes again with an incredulous shake of his head. "When did you get so wise?"

 

"That's the only good thing that comes with age."

 

Minhyun snorts despite himself. "I'll talk to Jaehwan," he says earnestly. "I'll make an effort to be more present. And Jisung...thanks."

 

"You thank me now; you'll probably regret this after Seongwoo decides to use _your_ face for his next social experiment, instead."

 

Jisung accepts his hug anyway.

 

 

 

X.

 

"━so then I'll put the buzzer on Seongwoo's desk chair while you all keep watch, and the next time he sits down he'll get...quite the shock."

 

"Daniel, no."

 

_Daniel, yes_ , Daniel nearly says aloud, but somehow he thinks that will only make Jisung lose more of what little respect he seems to have left for him.

 

"Woojin thinks it's a great idea!" he tries instead. "Right, Woojin?"

 

Said second-year shoots him a thumb-up.

 

"See?"

 

"But," Daehwi refutes, "Woojin occasionally wants to watch the world burn, so his opinion doesn't count."

 

Woojin nods sagely. "He does have a point."

 

What exactly has Daniel gotten himself into? He knew this was going to be... _interesting_ getting assistance from the kids, for lack of a better word, but he is really Going Through It today. No one said justice was supposed to be easy.

 

"Well, as the mastermind behind the plan, you all have to trust me. And besides, before we do anything, we're going to need to discuss code names. For myself, I've chosen 'Kang Kong,' and━"

 

"That's it, I'm out," Jisung says flatly, throwing his hands up. "And I'm taking the kids with me. Kids?"

 

"I really have to see how far south this plan can go," Woojin says with a shrug, to which Jisung looks entirely unsurprised.

 

Should Daniel be offended? He's pretty sure he should be offended.

 

"I'm staying, too," Daehwi says. "I promised Daniel I would help."

 

Daehwi’s always been a good kid. Daniel's giving him an honorary promotion if this all works out.

 

"Same here," Guanlin agrees.

 

"I think..."

 

Jisung's eyes widen. "Jinyoung..."

 

"I think...I'm going to stay, too."

 

Daniel didn't think it was possible to see someone's heart physically break. When Jisung looks back in Daniel's direction, it's with a slow shake of his head, an accusatory "Look what you've _done_."

 

He walks out, leaving their group of five crammed into the first-floor laundry room. Slightly less crammed now, Daniel supposes. He's always been one to look on the bright side.

 

Before anyone else can change their minds and stab him in the back, Daniel commences the operation. Seongwoo is thankfully in the shower when the group of them sneak into apartment 202. It's easy enough to post the kids on watch while Daniel makes his way into enemy territory.

 

Seongwoo's room is as annoyingly put together as ever, every little thing put into place except for the mess of papers on his desk. It offends Daniel that his (ex temporarily on hiatus) best friend can be consistently organized when Daniel can't even find a clean shirt in the pile on his own floor.

 

In fact, you know what? Daniel can already see put-together Ong Seongwoo laughing off his prank like it's nothing. A simple buzzer-desk trick won't make him learn his lesson at all.

 

_But you know what would?_

 

Ooh, his shoulder-devil is finally back. It's been far too long.

 

_No, what did you have in mind?_

 

The voice inside Daniel's head doesn't respond, but his eyes suddenly catch the light switch near the door. An idea blooms in his head. Light switch + buzzer = 2x the electricity = double the shock? It seems quite logical.

 

Gleeful smile on his face and buzzer in hand, Daniel moves to wire up the device to the switch, trying to tuck the battery in next to the door frame. If he can just connect━

 

Daniel is on the floor in a flash, yelping just before the crash resounds throughout the apartment. His ears are ringing, his head is fuzzy, and he feels more than a little disoriented, trying to wrap his brain around what just happened.

 

"Curse you...shoulder-devil..."

 

The half-propped door bursts open to reveal Seongwoo in nothing but a hastily-wrapped towel, damp hair plastered against his forehead.

 

"...Daniel?"

 

He kneels down to check the other man's condition, and Daniel immediately tries to shoo him away with feeble arm-waving and an insistent "Go away, we're still fighting!"

 

"Forgive me for being worried when I hear a crash and find you nearly passed out on my bedroom floor?"

 

"There's no forgiveness when we're still at war."

 

Seongwoo lets out a long sigh. “Right.”

 

"Your hair looks really dumb right now, by the way."

 

"Uh huh, sure. Stop squirming away; I'm trying to see if you have a fever."

 

"And your face is...stupid."

 

"Ouch, that one really hurt."

 

Daniel lets a triumphant smile settle on his face before something catches his eye in the doorway. The kids? The kids! A sinking feeling of betrayal settles in Daniel's gut.

 

"You were supposed to be keeping watch!" he accuses the four of them.

 

"Daniel..." Daehwi sounds far too patronizing. "You were on the floor."

 

"Traitors, all of you!"

 

"Daniel, please."

 

In his haze of righteous indignation, Daniel doesn't make out the words exchanged between the two parties of his now-enemies. But he does register when he's maneuvered into Seongwoo's lap, a hand resting briefly on his forehead like it had tried to do previously.

 

"Don't _hold_ me, I'm mad at you!"

 

"I've got this from here, kids," Seongwoo says over his words, seemingly intent on finding new ways to hurt Daniel's feelings. "You can go."

 

Outrage is the only word that captures what Daniel is feeling from that point forward. Outrage as Seongwoo continues to meticulously check up on him, outrage as the other insists on bringing him glass after glass of water because 'since it's not a fever, you're probably just dehydrated'.

 

And Daniel most definitely does _not_ fall asleep with Seongwoo's soothing fingers carding through his hair.

 

This isn't over.

 

 

 

XI.

 

The first thing Guanlin notices after Jinyoung and Jihoon relocate back to their own apartment is how much quieter it is.

 

After the repairs downstairs had been completed and the level once again deemed livable, both sets of displaced refugees had moved back home. Guanlin's not sure how it is over in 202, but here it just seems empty. Who would have thought he'd get so used to the condensed chaos of five people to one space?

 

It also seems like he isn't the only one feeling this way, if the sight in the living room is anything to go by. Daehwi is curled up despondently on the couch in his pajamas and bedhead, watching some kids' cartoon with half-glazed eyes. He looks like the perfect picture of misery.

 

Naturally, Guanlin does the only thing he can think of doing; he makes a beeline to Woojin's room. It takes approximately four seconds of explanation for understanding to click in the other's eyes.

 

"Come with me," he says.

 

He opens his closet to pull a thick quilt out from the top shelf before leading Guanlin back to the living room. "Start making some tea," he instructs, and Guanlin begins to bring the water to a boil while he watches Woojin shut off the TV. In moments, Daehwi is bundled in the quilt, not showing a single sign of protest. Guanlin briefly wonders how many times this has happened before.

 

Only when the tea is ready and steaming does Guanlin join the pair on the couch. Daehwi's hands stick out of the quilt just far enough to accept the mug with a surprised smile.

 

The silence is broken up by nothing but sips of tea until Woojin asks softly, "Want to talk about it?"

 

When Daehwi lowers his mug this time, his bottom lip is trembling.

 

"It's stupid," he says softly. "I was doing so well this semester. Making friends, keeping up my grades, running student council. And then all of a sudden I got all lonely and sad and stressed out and..."

 

Daehwi takes a deep breath, takes another sip of his tea. Woojin's hand reaches out to gently pat him on the head before falling back to his side.

 

"I really miss Mom," Daehwi finally continues, seeming to retreat even further into his cocoon.

 

"Can you go visit her for a weekend?" Guanlin speaks up.

 

"I wish. Twelve-hour plane rides aren't really something I can do over a weekend."

 

"Your mom lives overseas?"

 

Guanlin feels like this is something he definitely should have known. All this time he'd been thinking he and Daehwi had nothing in common, when in reality they shared something that could only be understood by someone in the same position.

 

Daehwi gives him a smile so sheepish it borders on guilty. "Maybe I haven't been as open of a roommate as I should have. I was born in the states; Mom's still there."

 

"And what about your━?" Guanlin starts to ask, but the sharp look on Woojin's face stops him. Oh. "I understand how you feel," he says instead. "When I'm around people, I don't notice it as much, but there's always a part of me that's missing my parents back home. When that homesickness gets bad, so does the stress."

 

Daehwi doesn't break his gaze. "So what do you do?"

 

"The opposite of what my instinct tells me. I talk more to my friends, work on things I enjoy. There's not a cure for loneliness, but there sure are ways to keep your mind off of it."

 

When that doesn't get an immediate response, Guanlin can't help but feel embarrassed. Did he go too far, say something he shouldn't have? Things were actually going well with his estranged roommate and now he's made it awkward. Great.

 

But after a long moment, Daehwi smiles ━ a genuine one, this time. "Thank you," he says sincerely. It feels like he's finally looking at Guanlin and not through him.

 

"Should we start making dinner, then?" Woojin asks. From anyone else it might have sounded out of place, but it's clear he just wants this to be the note they end on. "I think I heard Guanlin's stomach growling."

 

Guanlin turns to him with offense written all over his face, smile evaporating, but Daehwi cuts off what he's about to shoot back in retaliation.

 

"I'd love to," he agrees, "but, umm...I'm not sure if I can?"

 

Woojin looks positively murderous. "Lee Daehwi, we've been over this. You are going to love yourself, and you are going to embrace your every talent, flawless cooking skills included. If you think for one second━"

 

"As much as I appreciate that," Daehwi interrupts, "that's not what I meant." The tips of his ears turn visibly pink.

 

“I can’t move.”

 

 

 

XII.

 

When Sungwoon knocks on the door to apartment 102, he isn't expecting Minhyun to answer.

 

Even if the other man is the reason he's here in the first place, it's still strange to actually see him in the flesh, despite him being around more often these days. Minhyun ushers him inside, and Sungwoon hopes he doesn't look as nervous as he feels.

 

"You want something to drink? Water? Grapefruit juice?"

 

Sungwoon declines a beat before the other man finishes talking, fingers twisting together until it's painful. Judging by the look Minhyun gives him, he looks _exactly_ as nervous as he feels.

 

“Second door on the left,” Minhyun tells him gently, inclining his head in the right direction, and Sungwoon thanks him quietly before heading down the apartment's short hallway.

 

Sungwoon hesitates before knocking. He starts to reconsider if this is a terrible idea but oh, right what impulse control? And suddenly his knuckles are rapping twice against the door. Too late to turn back now.

 

"It's unlocked," a voice calls from inside, and Sungwoon gingerly opens the door to reveal what is, quite frankly, a disaster zone of dirty laundry and crumpled paper. Sitting cross-legged on his bed in ground zero's midst is Jaehwan himself. The other man's eyes go wide when he sees Sungwoon, intentions clearly somewhere between running out of the room and yelling for help, so Sungwoon says the first thing that pops into his head.

 

“That’s...Jisung’s cat.”

 

Jaehwan’s gaze flickers down to the animal in his lap, like he needs to confirm that Sungwoon isn't making something up. "She's supposed to be a gift for all of us, isn't she?" he says matter-of-factly. "Daniel keeps hogging her, so I take whatever time I can get."

 

They fade back into silence after that, a nod all Sungwoon can think to offer in return. He still lingers awkwardly in the doorway.

 

"Minhyun invited me,” he finally says, somehow feeling like he needs to justify being here. “He said we should talk.”

 

Jaehwan stares at him a moment longer before he relents with a sigh, patting the spot in front of him with his foot.

 

"Let’s talk, then. You don’t have to keep standing there."

 

Sungwoon closes the door with a _click_ , steps around the scattered dirty laundry covering the floor, and takes a seat facing the other man. He finds that he doesn't know how to act in front of him when they're not throwing barbed insults at each other. That's actually a little sad.

 

“Do you want to hold her?” Jaehwan asks him, gathering the cat into his arms.

 

Sungwoon is about to brush off the offer, but when he sees the sheepish expression on Jaehwan's face, he sees the question for what it is: a peace offering. He accepts the cat with careful hands, settling her into his lap and stroking down her spine. (And he does have to admit, she's very soft; it's like petting a very fluffy cloud.)

 

"So," he starts. There's an uncomfortable lump in his throat that makes it hard to get the words out.

 

"So?"

 

"So I'm terrible at apologies, but I'm sorry. I was angry, but what I did was out of line. The bowl, the fight, the punch I almost threw ━ all of it. That's not what I wanted to happen, but...I don't know. All I can think to say is that I'm sorry."

 

Jaehwan is silent throughout the apology, expression unreadable. When he opens his mouth to speak, Sungwoon almost thinks it's to mock him for showing weakness. It's not the first time today that he's wrong.

 

"I'm sorry, too," Jaehwan admits. "I always thought we were just joking around. What are a few insults between friends, right? I wouldn't have gone that far if I knew how much I was hurting you. Even without knowing, it was too far. I was being an idiot."

 

The apology is genuine. Sungwoon wants to tell him 'it's fine,' but the words are caught in his throat. Fortunately, Jaehwan saves him from responding, and Sungwoon has never been more glad that the other man loves the sound of his own voice.

 

"Listen...if I'm being completely honest, there are a lot of things I've given you a false impression of. I am always ━ and I mean _always_ ━ talking mad shit about my band until the moment you walk into the room. Had to look like I was living the life in front of my rival, and all that.

 

"But things aren't great. They haven't even been good for a while now. The four of us don't get along, I hate the music they give us to play, and I feel like I've lost my entire identity as an artist. Part of me wishes every day that I could go solo and be myself again. Sometimes I almost go through with it. But I never do, because I'm terrified that imperfect as it is, this is my only chance."

 

There's a strange mixture of surprise and encouragement swirling together in Sungwoon's chest. It's as if his entire world has been flipped on its axis, the sudden change sending words pouring out that he thought he'd never speak aloud.

 

"I'm terrified, too. I know I sort-of yelled it at you before, but it's the truth." He gently pets the cat in his lap for reassurance before he continues. "I've tried for so long and have nothing to show for it. Recently I'm starting to think the problem is me: an untalented, naive fool who's thrown his life away for an unreachable dream."

 

"I’m sure that’s not true. There’s a reason you’re my rival."

 

In the blink of an eye, Jaehwan hops off the bed to fish through a pile in the corner, returning with his guitar. Before Sungwoon can protest, Jaehwan is already strumming his fingers across the chords. He sings the opening lines with a poorly-hidden smile, and Sungwoon can't help the answering grin that blooms on his face when he recognizes the song: "Bohemian Rhapsody". Of course.

 

This time, it's not a competition; it's a duet. Sungwoon slips into the harmonies with ease, letting their voices interweave and compliment the other. One last chord fades into silence as the song’s first movement comes to a close.

 

Jaehwan stares at him for a long moment after they're done. Sungwoon is starting to get embarrassed when the other man suddenly puts down his guitar and scoots well past the bounds of personal space, planting his hands on Sungwoon's shoulders. The cat hops off the bed with a sound of indignation, but neither of them pay much attention.

 

“Let’s do this,” Jaehwan says firmly.

 

Sungwoon stares back in silence before he finally gets out an incredibly eloquent “...What?”

 

" _This_ ," Jaehwan repeats, gesturing between them. "I'll tell those two-faced lemmings that I'm quitting, and we can make our own duo. If we're this great while trying to kill each other, imagine what we could do working together. They'll _have_ to talk about us."

 

It's a tempting thought, that future. The moment Sungwoon lets himself consider it, lets himself imagine, it's already sinking its claws in.

 

"You know this is insane, right?"

 

"Absolutely."

 

"You'd really leave your band, your one-in-a-million chance, to start all over with someone who tried to murder you in cold blood a few days ago?"

 

"I've respected you as a musician from day one, near-death aside. And I would rather fail spectacularly at being myself than maybe make it pretending to be someone else. If we _do_ make it, wouldn't it all be worth it?"

 

Jaehwan looks at him with such uncharacteristic earnesty that Sungwoon finds it impossible to shoot him down. His mind had already made its choice the moment he dared to picture this new dream.

 

“I’m in.”

 

 

 

XIII.

 

_1:15 am._

 

Daehwi turns away from the clock's glowing display and groans, burying his face deeper into the bedsheets. There's been far too much on his plate lately between clubs and assignments, much less this midterm he's been trying to study for since this (yesterday?) afternoon.

 

A soft _meow_ sounds from the other side of the bed. Daehwi props himself up on his elbows to see Jisung's still-unnamed cat looking at him with an inquisitive tilt of her head.

 

"Do you want to switch places?" Daehwi weakly suggests. "You can study for music composition, and I can take a long nap and have my head scratched. It's the deal of a lifetime."

 

" _Meow?_ "

 

Daehwi is definitely turning into a crazy cat lady like Daniel. He might as well embrace the inevitable.

 

"Think about it. You'd get to━"

 

A shrill ringing cuts off his attempted persuasion. Daehwi practically jumps a foot, glad no one is there to witness it, and slips back into his shoes as quickly as he can. Of course it's the fire alarm. Of _course_.

 

He shoves his phone into his pocket, gathers the cat into his arms, and steps out of the room, coming face-to-face with Guanlin. His roommate looks equally as in shock. That's how Woojin finds them when he comes out from his own room, snorting at the pair staring at each other in silence.

 

"It's just the fire alarm," Woojin tells them over the harsh beeps. "It's probably nothing. But if it _is_ something, I'm not about to let you two stand here and stare each other to death."

 

Daehwi's known him long enough to hear the genuine comfort behind Woojin's words. He flashes an appreciative smile in the other's direction before they all file out into the hallway, passing others in various states of sleepiness (Jinyoung) and undress (Sungwoon) on the way to the exit.

 

Once outside, Daehwi expected he'd feel a lot calmer. His heart rate does just the opposite when he sees actual smoke coming from the building, curling in wispy tendrils toward the sky. An actual fire?

 

He's more on edge than ever, then, grinding his teeth together in a bad nervous habit he'd picked up last year. When a ghost emerges from the smoke, he's barely able to contain his screech, the sound coming out more like a terrified squeak. Daehwi really hopes the "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE" that ran through his head stayed in there.

 

A thoroughly embarrassed-looking Jihoon comes into focus, cupping his hands around his face to hide the pale mask drying there, and...well, in hindsight, that does make more sense than a haunting. Daehwi blames the stress.

 

Sungwoon is the next out, joining their growing group with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for being slow," he tells them. "I didn't react at first when the alarm woke me up because I thought it was Jaehwan laughing."

 

The target of that jab lets out an offended "Hey!", Daehwi braces himself for the worst, and...they both burst into laughter, standing side-by-side with no traces of animosity. Daehwi's heart suddenly feels full ━ he's always been a sucker for character development.

 

"Everyone, stay where you are," Jisung says over their scattered conversations. "Apartment 101...here. 102...here. 201...also here. 202...does anyone know where Daniel is?"

 

Confusion clouds Daehwi's thoughts until a particular memory comes back to him, what Daniel had told him after the last failed 'great prank.' What was it he had said? Something about upping the stakes, taking matters into his own hands, and...surely not. Right?

 

Wrong. Daniel emerges from the building after another few minutes, looking a bit worse for wear and sporting the most sheepish expression Daehwi has ever seen on his face.

 

"It's not as bad as it looks, I promise!" Daniel says before anyone else can speak. "Nothing serious is on fire, so don't worry. Things just got a little out of hand when I...yeah."

 

"This," Seongwoo tells him flatly. "This is why I'm the one in charge of pranks."

 

They start bickering in hushed voices. The others look relieved, but Daehwi is admittedly doing his best to eavesdrop, catching the tail-end of "Well I'm glad you're okay, you absolute idiot. It's not like I was _worried_ about you or anything". Some things never change.

 

The silence that follows the spat isn't technically silence. The sounds of other scattered conversations and approaching firetrucks still fill the air. But as the group of them stand in an ill-formed cluster, Daehwi absently stroking the cat in his arms, it seems like no one knows what to say. And, really, Daehwi doesn't blame them.

 

It's Minhyun who finally finds his window of opportunity, filling the dead air between them with a sarcastic "So _this_ is what I came back for?"

 

Someone (probably Jaehwan) lets out a rather unattractive snort, and that seems to break the dam. One chuckle dominoes into full-blown laughter, somehow more contagious than usual in the face of a situation this absurd.

 

"Now that I think about, maybe Minhyun was doing us a favor by staying away. I'm pretty sure he's cursed."

 

"Please, you missed him the most, you big baby."

 

"And besides, I'm actually 99% sure that's Daniel."

 

"If anything, you're the one who cursed us, Mister Running-A-Giant-Scam-Under-My-Roommates'-Noses!"

 

"And yet you don't see me setting our building on fire, do you?"

 

"Children, please. Bonding now, fighting later when I don't have to listen to it."

 

"You tell 'em, Mom."

 

"Park Jihoon, I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect━"

 

(Somewhere in the midst of their teasing, the landlord comes to confiscate the cat in Daehwi's arms with a stern "Pets aren't allowed here, son," and Daehwi surprises even himself when he hisses back, "You can pry her from my cold, dead hands."

 

The landlord doesn't speak to him again.)

 

In the end, Daehwi doesn't end up joining in on most of the banter. But he watches. He looks around at Jaehwan and Sungwoon laughing side-by-side like they've been close for years, at Daniel and Seongwoo finally letting their guards down around each other again, at Minhyun looking the happiest he's seemed since move-in, at Guanlin who sends him a smile meant not just for a roommate but for a friend. And he thinks that he couldn't have asked for better people to share this chapter of his life with.

 

But now that Daehwi is finished waxing poetic about their friendship, there's something in the back of his mind, nagging him in a voice that sounds suspiciously like Jisung's. What was it again?

 

Ah.

 

He still has a midterm in five hours.

 

 

 

_Fin_.


End file.
